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House Schneeplestein (Novel: House Varras)
House Schneeplestein (Novel: House Varras) is one of the five Noble Houses of Duilintinn. It is led by Lord Henrik von Schneeplestein (Novel: Lord Mahdu Rikke sor Varras). History Modern Day House Schneeplestein has been driven to the brink of cultural existentialism in the wake of The Enemy’s return. As the enemy’s power grows stronger, so does House Schneeplestein’s understanding of it diminish. Never before has this house faced a problem so difficult to solve, and their lord’s reputation for defying the enemy only pushes them harder to find the answers they seek. Where are the missing lords? What is the enemy planning? How can we attempt to stop him? All of the other houses are looking to House Schneeplestein for these answers and more. The longer they go unanswered, the less time The Watch will have to react, with potentially dire results. Potentially more serious is the cultural unrest that this failure to perform their duty to the kingdom has caused within House Schneeplestein. They never found a solution to the famine that plagued House Brody, nor can they find a cure for many of the poisons used by the enemy during his raids of the kingdom’s borders. It remains to be seen if this unrest and dissatisfaction will cause dramatic consequences for House Schneeplestein, The Watch, and the kingdom as a whole. Geography House Schneeplestein encompasses the Iolla Cliffs and the coastal plains of Duilintinn south of the Guardian River. To the north, the Guardian River marks the boundary between House Schneeplestein and House Brody. To the east, Loch Domhainn opens up into the endless ocean horizon of the Eastern Sea. To the south, the Iolla Cliffs and Southern Mountains stretch far out in the distance. To the west, the Beinnfaire Ridge rises into plains of House Jackie and the capital city of Cordoire. Flora and Fauna House Schneeplestein's coastal plain is a ria/fjord coast made of chalky soil. Its flora and fauna mostly consist of whatever would live in this type of ecosystem irl. Traveling inland, the ecosystem begins to transition into the grasslands of the Monaidh Plains, with similar flora and fauna. However, the deforestation from the Waldren Occupation and House Schneeplestein's booming urbanization (relative to other populations at the time) makes the flora and fauna less prosperous as they once might have been in the past. Climate House Schneeplestein has very hot summers. Precipitation varies, with dry, windy summers in the flat, central areas of House Schneeplestien and mild summer rains in the Iolla Cliffs further south. However, during the winter months, maritime travel in and out of Duilintinn is brought to a standstill due to extreme winds and stormy conditions off of the Eastern Sea. This period of harsh weather usually starts around late November and lasts until early March. You’ll be stranded if you’re visiting Duilintinn during this time of year and missed your ship home. Meanwhile, the weather can still be quite risky for sailors before and after the three most dangerous months. Those who wish to travel on the sea in October, November, March, and April would do well to consult a local weather expert (either a mage or experienced ship captain, take your pick). While high-speed winds are no longer constant during these months, small storms can still pop up with very little warning. You’ll have to pick your date of departure very carefully to avoid getting sent adrift by these unpredictable winds. By May, however, the weather has settled down, and the seas off the coast of Duilintinn will remain calm and bright until late September. Of course, there’s always the occasional summer storm, but what’s seafaring without a bit of risk? At this point, big ships full of people and goods will start pulling regularly into Fionport, bridging the aquatic gap between nations until the winter winds roll around once again. Culture Members of House Schneeplestein are often extremely detail-oriented, self-critical, and laser-focused. They will find a local answer to every complicated and cryptic situation or die trying. Members of House Schneeplestein hate jumping to conclusions and problems with no right or wrong answer, which is a trait they share with House Jackie. In addition, members of House Schneeplestein are constantly seeking to improve the world around them, including themselves. This results in a tendency to be slightly blunt, but rarely with cruel intent. Despite their confidence in their ability to connect the dots and solve the problem, members of House Schneeplestein are rarely satisfied with the results. This can lead to them self-sabotaging their efforts through overthinking, self-criticism, or a refusal to leave a finished task alone. House Schneeplestein has a culture of education, research, and thorough observation. Details are rarely overlooked in their culture, whether that be in fashion, architecture, city planning, celebrations, and almost everything else possible. The phrase, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” is almost unheard of within House Schneeplestein, because everything has flaws that can be improved, including the people themselves. While some might consider the culture of House Schneeplestein to be overly perfectionistic, harsh, or obsessive (a stereotype which likely finds some of its source in the personality of Lord Schneeplestein himself), the true hallmark of House Schneeplestein’s culture is its desire for complete understanding of the world and its inhabitants, both friendly and otherwise. One cannot solve a problem without truly understanding the situation, so House Schneeplestein constantly strives to seek out and line up the true causes and effects of anything and everything around them. In addition, House Schneeplestein has a tricky relationship with House Marvin. On one hand, the discoveries from House Marvin are studied and taught with gusto in House Schneeplestein. One could argue that many of House Schneeplestein’s most famous medical and scholarly accomplishments would not be possible without the discoveries made in House Marvin. On the other hand, House Marvin’s tendency to recklessly disregard schools of thought or to pursue pointless leads often grates on members of House Schneeplestein. A culture of organization and knowledge, House Schneeplestein fares poorly in times where information is scarce and there are few answers to be found. Just as House Jackie seeks order by actively solving problems, House Schneeplestein seeks order by using logic to find a solution to the problem. In the past, this logic and expertise has served House Schneeplestein well. However, as the enemy’s magic becomes stronger and more difficult to comprehend, logic and reason can sometimes only lead so far. Settlements Fionport: 'The capital of House Schneeplestein, perched on the banks of Loch Domhainn. Featuring heavy influences from Waldren Occupation architecture, this city is home to House Schneeplestein's government and the political hubs of House Schneeplestein's major guilds. 'Domhainn Outlook Outpost: '''An outpost of The Watch, located on the northern banks of Loch Domhainn. Known for its lighthouse, sailing patrols, and Watcher-only port, this outpost is one end of the route to and from Iolla Beacon Outpost and Reaper Cove. '''Iolla Beacon Outpost: An outpost of The Watch, located in the Iolla Cliffs. Fulfills a similar role to Domhainn Outlook, but with far more secrecy. Iolla Sanitariums: Multiple facilities for people with chronic or terminal illnesses can seek long-term care in the healthy air of the Iolla Cliffs. Airceann Bridge: A bustling town that's sprung up around the titular bridge, taking advantage of the traffic in and out of the Iolla Cliffs. Cnocrann: Small village sitting on a hill jutting out from the Beinnfaire Ridge. Loburn: Booming town on the road from Fionport to Iolla Cliffs, a well-respected place for doctors to study and patients to get checked up on their way to and from the Iolla Sanitariums. Begdor: Booming town at the intersection of half a dozen roads traveling to Cordoire, Fionport, Fort Stiofán, and other major settlements in Duilintinn. Economy House Schneeplestein is the local center of educational and scholarly culture, boasting the best schools, doctors, and libraries in the kingdom. The majority of doctors in other houses spent time studying under House Schneeplestein’s finest professionals, or else are members of House Schneeplestein themselves living in another region of the kingdom. Members of House Marvin send their magical discoveries and inventions to House Schneeplestein for further research and study, while administrators of other houses will often send messengers to House Schneeplestein when facing difficult economic, social, or policy dilemmas. While other lands might send those seeking answers on a pilgrimage to an oracle or deity, citizens of Duilintinn will commonly make plans to visit the lands of House Schneeplestein when facing a difficult decision (this also includes members of House Schneeplestein themselves, who will rarely draw any sort of conclusion without conferring with their peers). Guilds Three specific guilds hold the most economic and political sway in House Schneeplestein: The Lifeworker Institute, Scholars' College, and the Keepers of Memory. However, all of Duilitintinn's guilds have at least a minor presence in every Noble House. In particular, the Merchants Guild plays a significant role in the region, especially in the capital city of Fionport, despite technically being centered in Cordoire. Government and Politics The Lord Lord Schneeplestein’s whereabouts are the subject of heavily contested debate. Multiple independent sources verified by The Watch have claimed that Lord Schneeplestein returned to his hold in 1607, nearly eight years since the enemy used magic to take hold of his mind and body and attack King Sean. However, six years later, he has not been seen since. Many believe that, much like his house, Lord Schneeplestein has holed himself up in his study, frantically attempting to cure the king’s mysterious illness and solve the mysterious threats plaguing the kingdom. Others wonder if the enemy ever truly released his grip on the harrowed lord, despite (or because of) Lord Schneeplestein’s famed ability to defy death time and time again throughout the kingdom’s history. The Bureaucracy Each Noble House has a bureaucratic system running the day-to-day administrative stuff in the background, and has had one since Duilintinn's founding. The Lords were there to run the whole show, pick what they wanted their lands to strive towards, that sort of thing. The lords were more like a symbolic "this is what we stand for" heads of state than someone with actual administrative power, which was left to the bureaucracies. At first, this required a lot of oversight from each lord to make sure that the bureaucrats were actually doing what they asked of them, but since each house is now full of people with similar ideology and goals, that oversight is much less necessary. Most officials in the bureaucratic part of the government legitimately want the same goals that the Lord wanted (otherwise they would have probably chosen a different house). When the lords disappeared, very little about the actual functioning of the government changed. Instead, the bureaucracy strives to carry on the legacy and aims of their missing lord. Symbols The House Animal of House Schneeplestein is a Phoenix. Trivia * The real-world equivalent of House Schneeplestein's geography is the South Downs of the United Kingdom, with its large escarpment between the coast and higher inland regions, white cliffs rising over the ocean, and chalk rivers. Category:Locations Category:Noble Houses